Question:
What do the scholars and experts of shari’ah say regarding Tawaf al-Qudum? When should it be performed?
Answer:
The circumambulation of the Ka’aba is called tawaf. Tawaf al-Qudum is performed by those pilgrims who have entered the city of Makkah for hajj and are not local. According to the majority of the scholars, it is a sunnah to perform tawaf al-qudum.
The time to perform tawaf al-qudum starts once a person enters the blessed city of Makkah. It is mustahab to perform the tawaf as soon as possible as this is akin to presenting one’s salam to the House of Allah ﷻ. The majority of the scholars have also stated that the time to perform tawaf al-qudum ends upon staying at ‘Arafa. As after this one must perform the fardh tawaf which is called tawaf al-ziyarah/al-Ifadah.
A person performing ‘umrah does not need to perform tawaf al-qudum as the tawaf of ‘umrah frees him from this.
And Allah ﷻ knows the best
This fatwa is written by Dr. Hafiz Muhammad Munir Al-Azhari
